


Sparks

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s04e11 Holy Night, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-09
Updated: 2003-04-09
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15104993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: CJ/Danny Post-epHoly Night





	1. Sparks

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Sparks**

**by:** Rhonda Dossett

**Character(s):** CJ, Danny  
**Pairing(s):** CJ/Danny  
**Category(s):** Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine and never will be.  
**Summary:** CJ/Danny Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Spoiler:** Everything up to and including Holy Night  
**Author's Note:** This story is NOT part of my on-going CJ/Danny series. 

"I can't believe no one told me you were back."  An amazed CJ pointed towards one of her visitor chairs and Danny obediently sat down. 

"I still have a few friends around here."  Danny grinned.  "Josh helped me set up the surprise." 

"Josh is just full of surprises today," she responded with a wry smile.  "I'm not sure the one he planned for Toby is going to turn out so well." 

His eyes twinkling, Danny relaxed, leaning back and hooking one leg over the chair arm. "So... uh... this surprise turned out well in your opinion?" 

She didn't bother to hide her pleasure in seeing him again.  "So far it has.  I love the pin." 

"It was my idea  - I picked it out," he claimed, unbuttoning the top few buttons on his too warm Santa jacket. 

"I never would have guessed," CJ quipped.  

"So what do I get?"  He finished unbuttoning the rest of the jacket and pulled it off, revealing a red thermal t-shirt. 

She raised her eyebrows and the pitch of her voice.  "I beg your pardon?"  

"What do I get for providing you with such a thoughtful and charming gift." 

"What do you want?  I already gave you a kiss."  CJ laughed. 

Stroking his real beard, Danny countered, "Actually you didn't give it, I took it." 

She frowned at him.  "Okay, consider the fact that I didn't give you a knee in your ho-ho-ho a gift." 

Hastily, he answered, "Don't think I'm not grateful, I was just hoping for something a little more tangible." 

"Like what?" 

"Dinner?" he suggested with a hopeful pitch to his voice. 

Experiencing a strong sense of deja vu, CJ asked, "A business dinner?" 

"Hell, no." 

Crossing her arms, she shook her head.  "Sorry.  You should have asked me before you started working back in the West Wing again." 

Danny frowned.  "I'm not official until next week." 

"So you're just visiting today?  Not getting paid for being here?" 

"Depends." 

"On?" 

"On whether being an unpaid visitor gets me a dinner date with you." 

"If you don't work here, there's no conflict of interest to keep me from dating you." 

"In that case I don't work here.  Not until Monday morning."  Danny made a mental note to let his editor know he wasn't on the payroll yet. 

"Okay, then." 

"Okay, then what?"  If he was going to lose money over the deal, he wanted to make sure it included a date. 

CJ sighed. "Okay, then - technically, if I wanted to have dinner with you I could, at least until Monday morning." 

"So we have this small window of opportunity." 

"I suppose." 

Danny brightened.  "We should make the most of it.  Live life to the fullest.  Make every moment count." 

She had a vision of him in another type of uniform - a Navy officer trying to score with his girlfriend during his last night in port.  "You're not going off to war on Monday." 

"A creative person could look at our situation that way." 

"So could a crazy person."  Danny really was crazy if he thought she was going to fall for that old  line.  

Danny grinned, tossing his Santa jacket at her.  "What's your point?"  

She waved her hand to interrupt him.  "Why are we talking about cricket?  I asked you about your writing." 

"Bear with me a little longer and  my point will become clear." 

Glancing out the window at the heavy snowfall, she realized that she had nothing but time.  The airports weren't going to be opening anytime soon.  She'd have to call her brother and let him know she wasn't coming, that once again she'd be spending Christmas in D.C. - alone.  Well, she wouldn't tell him that last part.  "Fine.  Go on with your story.  You picked up a love of cricket during your travels and..." 

"And, when I popped down to Bermuda for a few days I met a guy, whose name I'm not going to tell you right now." 

Bermuda - Beaches - Tropical temperatures.  She could use a vacation, especially some place warm.  "Oh, I love Bermuda.  I love the scooters." 

"Me too. I rented one to... " Danny frowned when he realized she'd gotten him off track again. "But, anyway -  I met this guy who worked at the airport and he told me ..." 

Danny stood for a moment in the doorway, just watching her.  He'd stayed gone too long. 

"Hey."  He plastered an optimistic expression on his face. 

CJ glanced up, thinking about all the times in the past he'd announced his unauthorized presence in just the same manner.  "I thought you'd left." 

Raising his eyebrows, he answered, "I thought we were going to have dinner."  

"That was before you told me about your big story and warned me about messing with you."  CJ sat back in her chair, continuing to twirl a pen between her fingers. 

"You missed my point entirely."  He walked over and tapped on Gail's bowl. 

"No I didn't.  I heard you.  You're into cricket and conspiracy theories now."  She had told Leo and Josh about Danny's investigation.  Trouble was coming, walking in on size 11 Santa boots. 

"My point was that come Monday, I'll be back on the job, heading off to war - so to speak - so we should make the most of the next few days."  He could tell she was interested.  Telling her about the Qumar thing was probably a mistake.  Nah, he owed her the truth about his intentions. 

"You're crazy."  

"I think we covered that earlier.  They're holding a table for us at my favorite restaurant.  If we leave now, we can still have a choice of food."  He held his breath until he saw her close the briefing book and slip on her shoes. 

"Are you going to eat the rest of your cheesecake?"  Danny eyed her half-eaten dessert. 

"I might."  CJ smiled and took another sip of coffee.  He wasn't hiding his impatience well. 

"I'm just saying that if you weren't, I could handle it for you."  His fingers reached across the table. 

Setting down her coffee cup, she pulled her dessert plate out of his reach.  "When was the last time you ate anything?  You act like it's been weeks since you've had a decent meal.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat that fast." 

"I'm just nervous," he lied.  Women liked it when guys admitted weaknesses, or at least that had been his experience. 

"You're nervous?  No way."  She didn't think nerves were the reason he was rushing dinner.  He had something else planned for after the meal was over. 

"I can be nervous.  I come complete with a full range of emotions.  Right now, I'm nervous." He could tell she wasn't buying his act.  Too bad he couldn't manage an eye twitch.  Vulnerable, he needed to look vulnerable.  He played with the end of his tie, avoiding her gaze. 

She wondered what he had spilled on his tie.  He was going to fray it if he kept rubbing it.  "Okay.  Why are you nervous?" 

"Cause I want you to go home with me after dinner.  I was going to wait to bring it up until you finished, but at the rate you're eating that cheesecake, I could be an old man in need of Viagra before this meal is over.  You're probably gonna want another cup of coffee too, aren't you?" Tricky.  He was using the truth to disarm her.  Clearing her throat, she waved at the waiter, indicating he should bring their check.  "I was just enjoying the conversation and the meal.  I didn't know you had a timer on me." 

"You don't have any coffee in your kitchen, Fishboy.  You don't have any food at all."  CJ slammed the cabinet door shut and peered into the empty whiteness of his refrigerator. 

Danny yelled from the living room.  "I know.  Offering you coffee was just something I said to fill the awkward silence."  

He appeared at the kitchen doorway.  "I didn't think you would actually take me up on it.  You must have drunk a gallon of the stuff at the restaurant." 

Shutting the refrigerator door, she began to feel a little nervous herself.  "It's late.  Maybe I should just go home." 

"Don't be hasty.  If it's a deal breaker, I could run down to the 7-Eleven and get you a cappuccino."  Who knew coffee was so important to her. 

Danny closed the space between them, reaching down and holding her hand. 

"What are we doing?" she asked, taking a step back so she could breathe. 

"Talking about coffee."  

"No, we're not." 

"Yeah."  He was probably rushing her.  Just because he'd missed her every moment for the last two years, didn't mean she had spent all that time pining after him.  He'd heard about that Secret Service guy. 

"It's been two years since I've seen you.  I've only talked to you on the phone a few times during all these months.  You really expect me to fall into bed with you tonight?" 

"No," he lied, making a mental note to always keep coffee in his apartment.  Bad things happen to people who don't stock their cupboards.  Maybe he was crazy.  One of the voices in his head sounded suspiciously like Martha Stewart. 

"Call me a cab, Fishboy.  You're going to have to woo me."  She smiled at him. 

"Okay.  Just remember that window of opportunity is closing."  Danny slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close again.  

"You've got three days.  Show me what you've got."  She gave him a quick kiss and slipped away. 


	2. Sparks 2

**Sparks**

**by:** Rhonda Dossett

**Character(s):** CJ, Danny  
**Pairing(s):** CJ/Danny  
**Category(s):** Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine and never will be.  
**Summary:** CJ/Danny Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Spoiler:** Everything up to and including Holy Night  
**Author's Note:** This story is NOT part of my on-going CJ/Danny series. 

* * *

The snow was still coming down, huge piles of the fluffy stuff were accumulating on the D.C. streets.   Daylight was still a couple of hours away, but the light from the streetlights reflecting on the white snow made it unnaturally bright outside.  

The weather forecasters had gotten it wrong.  This storm wasn't going to just blow through - D.C. was going to be at a standstill for days.  It was beautiful though, CJ mused, shivering as the cab's heater blew air only fractionally less frigid than that outside.  

The taxicab driver's gravelly voice drew her attention.

If this crap didn't stop soon, he complained, he would have to quit his shift early.  He really didn't want to lose the money - he had two kids in college and his cab needed new tires.

Better lose the money than your life, CJ thought, tensing as he barely managed to coax the vehicle out of yet another skid.  The guy was driving way too fast, going way too fast - just like Danny.

Danny.  There were days, maybe weeks when, she hadn't even thought of Danny Concannon.  When he'd left, she'd filed her feelings for him in a folder marked "closed with regret" and stuffed it into the back recesses of her mind.  She had moved on with her life.  Two years worth of moving on.  Now one Santa suit and one kiss later, things were out of place.  Everything was all a jumble in her mind.  

Damn him.

The car just went through a red light.  The driver couldn't stop.  He was lucky there weren't any other cars crossing.  She'd be lucky to survive this day with her life and her job intact.

Danny kissed her in a room full of reporters.  Right up on the stage in front of everyone.  Luckily, the reporters thought it was just part of the joke.  No one said anything.  But she knew the truth.  

There was ice under the snow.  Danger lurked under the pretty white stuff.

She should have let Danny drive her home, or maybe she should have let him convince her to stay. It was dangerous either way.

Oh, God.  Her life was like this car, sliding out of control because some guy was pushing her too far, too fast, under less than optimal conditions.

Checking her seatbelt again, she considered her options.  She could hang on and hope for the best, hope she could handle the unknown consequences.  Or she could demand to be let out of the warm cab into the bone-numbing chill of the blizzard outside.  

No.  There was a third option - the one she chose with Danny. 

"Slow down!" she yelled at the driver.  "I'm not in that much of a hurry.  It's my life you're risking in addition to your own.  I have a right to object.  A right to demand that you slow down."  

The guy glanced at her in the rear-view mirror.  His expression conveyed the message that he thought he had a crazy woman in his cab.  "Sure.  No problem.  Take it easy."

Okay.  Take a deep breath, she told herself, shutting her eyes.  Get a grip.  Everything is fine.  You told Danny that you wanted to slow down.  He agreed.  The driver agreed.  You've got control back.

The sound of the driver's curses had her opening her eyes.  They were sliding again - the light was red -  this time the intersection was full of traffic.

* * *

She heard him before she saw him.  He was yelling her name, ignoring the nurses who were trying to calm him.  She had no doubt he'd find her.  Danny was very good at ferreting out hidden things or people.

CJ would have answered him, but her jaw hurt too much to speak.  She'd hit the side of her face against the window when the other car had hit the cab.  She felt like everything in her head had been slammed to the other side and was now rolling loose like marbles in a tea cup.  

Using her tongue, she checked her teeth.  Several of those were definitely loose.  She couldn't see out of her left eye.  The nurse assured her it was still there, but she had her doubts.  They wouldn't let her touch her face or bring her a mirror.  Not that she could hold it up, at least one of her arms had been ripped off at the shoulder.  She'd never get jackets to fit properly now.  Shoulder pads.  She'd need shoulder pads in her suits.

"CJ?"

His whispered voice had her opening her good eye.  She could see his red hair, but his features refused to stay in focus.

"Hey," she mumbled or at least tried to mumble.  Her jaw refused to move.  Was her mouth even open?  She hoped she wasn't drooling.

The light felt like a dagger in her head, so she shut her eye.  She wished they would give her something to take away the pain.  

At least they could give her a blanket, she was so cold her loose teeth were chattering.

"CJ?   Katie saw the accident and called me."

Couldn't he tell that she wasn't up for a conversation?  Or, an interview?  He always wanted too much from her.

"You're going to be fine.  Nothing is broken."

Nothing broken?  Impossible.  She was lying on a cold slab shattered into a million pieces.  Everything hurt.  She couldn't see, but they could.  She had limbs missing.  Half her face was  gone, her best half.  Her left profile photographed better.

"After the ophthalmologist checks out your eye, they're going to let me take you home."

Home?  She's dying and they're going to send her home?  She should have taken Josh's advice and never signed up for that cheap HMO.  She hoped they at least bothered to stick her eye back in the socket before they discharged her.  Giving press conferences with an eyeball dangling on her cheek could be a distraction for the press corps.

"Did you hear me?  You're going to be fine."  He shouted this time as though she were deaf.

Wincing at his raised voice, she tried to lift one hand.  She had one hand anyway, she discovered in surprise.   Her ears worked fine, too fine.  Noises surrounded her, slamming like hammers against her skull.

She felt his hand enclose hers, trying to assure her of his nearness.

She knew he was near.  She didn't need him to hold her hand.  She just wanted him to stop talking.  If he'd lean over, she'd hit him.  She needed quiet.

At least his fingers were warm, she thought, unconsciously tightening her grip each time someone ordered him gone.

* * *

Poor Danny.  She threw up in his brand new Explorer. 

Serves him right.  He should have insisted she stay in the hospital.  She was dying.  Couldn't he understand that?

Closing her remaining eye, she tried to think of anything other than the pain in her body and the churning in her stomach.  She needed to let Leo know he'd have to hire a new Press Secretary.

"CJ?"

Oh, God, Danny wanted her to move.  Groaning, she tried to protest as he lifted her from the seat.  She was going to vomit again if he wasn't careful, if he didn't stop bouncing her up and down.

Didn't he understand her head was about to fall off her neck?

"How you doing, Claudia Jean?  Danny said you tangled with a cab.  Looks like the cab won."

Josh was here?  They sent Josh to take care of her?  What had she ever done to deserve that?  

The sudden feel of her own mattress underneath her drove all questions from her mind.  If they'd just give her a blanket and go away, she could die in peace.

* * *

"I have some pain pills for you.  Can you wake up for a minute and swallow them?"

For pain pills she'd do anything.

Opening one eye she found she could see clearly again.  Good.  She would have hated to have been blind on top of everything else.

Danny put another pillow beneath her head.  The change in elevation took her breath away and increased the tempo of the jack-hammers at work in her head.

He held up a glass with a straw in it so she could see what he was about to stick in her mouth.

She must have done something to acknowledge his unspoken request because he slid the straw between her lips on the right side and waited for her to suck.

And waited.

"CJ?"

She was trying, her mouth just didn't want to cooperate.  Okay, there.  She did it.  The water felt good going down.

"Want to try the pills now?  I cut them in half."

Give the man another award.

The mutilated pills went down, propelled by another drink of water.

"Are you still cold?"

Her answer didn't sound like yes to her, but he seemed to understand.

The warmth from the addition of another blanket and his body next to hers finally stopped the shivering.

Her last thought before she drifted off was centered around what Danny had planned for a third date.  Their window of opportunity was closing fast.


	3. Sparks 3

**Sparks**

**by:** Rhonda Dossett

**Character(s):** CJ, Danny  
**Pairing(s):** CJ/Danny  
**Category(s):** Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine and never will be.  
**Summary:** CJ/Danny Post episode story for Holy Night  
**Spoiler:** Everything up to and including Holy Night  
**Author's Note:** This story is NOT part of my on-going CJ/Danny series. 

* * *

It was daytime. That much she knew. The rest - well - the rest was kind of a blur. 

She needed to dust the light fixture on the ceiling. It had been a long time since she'd seen it in the daytime - a long time since she'd spent so much time in bed. 

She also needed to get up. Her bladder was screaming. The question was which was screaming louder - her bladder or her head? 

Bladder. 

* * *

His first thought was that she was able to move her jaw again. His second was to wonder why she was screaming. 

"What's wrong," he gasped, bursting into the bathroom. 

"My hair. Someone cut a chunk out of my hair. Look!" She was leaning against the vanity, wearing the t-shirt he'd dressed her in and staring at the side of her head, in particular the area just above her ear. 

"Geez. Your hair? That's why you screamed? The doctor shaved it to so he could clean the cut and put in three stitches." A pale-looking Danny walked over and sat down on the edge of the claw-footed tub. "I need a beer. I need two beers. I thought something important was wrong." 

"My hair is important. Now I've got a bald spot the size of a fist." 

"A newborn's fist maybe," he said, rubbing his weary face with both hands. Two days without sleep was catching up with him. "Ignoring the hair problem for the moment, how do you feel?" 

CJ swallowed hard and let her eye drift over her reflection in the mirror. Eye singular since her left eye was still swollen shut, a rainbow of colors covering the area from her temple to her jaw-line. She looked like Rocky after the big match. "Oh, God." 

Getting to his feet, Danny turned and started the water running in the over-sized tub. "A hot bath will help. The doctor said all your muscles would be sore for awhile. The other car was going pretty fast and you got bounced around a bit. The seatbelt was probably the only thing that kept you from being killed - that and the fact that you were sitting on the side opposite the impact." 

"Why does my shoulder hurt? I can hardly raise my left arm." Looking down, she self-consciously tugged at the t-shirt bottom wishing it were longer. She didn't even want to know who had undressed her and then redressed her in a t-shirt she hadn't worn in years. 

"It's bruised, right along with your face, from hitting the passenger door next to you. The seatbelt kept you from flying forward, but it didn't keep you from moving sideways." Danny poured an over-generous amount of her favorite bubble bath in the rushing water. 

"I'm ruining your Christmas, aren't I?" she asked, finally able to focus on someone other than herself. Casually dressed in sweat bottoms and a faded t-shirt, Danny appeared exhausted. 

"There's no place I'd rather be." He shut off the water and walked over to her. Grinning, he asked, "Want some help getting in the tub?" 

Her sympathy for his well-being evaporated. "Get out." 

"I'm just saying - if you need some help washing your back... or anything else, I'm your man." 

"Out." 

Danny stole a quick kiss before walking out of the bathroom. "Okay, but I'll be right outside the door. Whistle if you need anything." 

The door slamming behind him was his answer. 

* * *

"Danny?" Her voice was muffled. 

"Change your mind?" he yelled, gathering up the sheets he'd just stripped from the bed intending to replace them with fresh ones. 

"No, but I think I need another pain pill before I try to get up." 

Tossing the sheets on a chair, Danny headed for the kitchen. "Okay - hang on while I get the bottle." 

She used the hand sprayer to rinse her hair again, hoping she'd managed to get all the shampoo out. Having only one hand available to wash her hair made the whole process exhausting. Her muscles had relaxed in the hot water and now she didn't have the strength to pull herself out of the deep tub. She was going to have to ask him for help. 

"I'm coming in," Danny warned just before opening the door into the steamy room. 

CJ blushed and sank a little deeper under the rapidly dissipating bubbles. 

Danny knelt by the side of the tub and handed her a pill and a juice glass filled with water. "Do you still need the straw?" 

CJ shook her head and swallowed the pain killer. "What time is it?" 

"11:00 am" 

"It feels like it's later. How long did I sleep?" 

"Off and on - three days." 

"Three days?" she exclaimed, sitting up a little straighter in the tub. "Wait! What day is this?" 

"Saturday, the 28th." He noticed that a lot of the bubbles were gone. 

"I missed Christmas?" 

"Yeah," he grinned, trying to keep his eyes trained on her face instead of her clearly visible breasts. "But we can celebrate when you're feeling better." 

"You've been here the whole time?" 

"Except for a couple of hours when Leo and Josh sat with you. I had to go out to buy groceries and pick up some clothes." 

"I thought I heard Josh's voice, but Leo? Leo was here? Leo knows you stayed with me?" Her voice was beginning to get panicky. 

"Yeah. Everyone knows. Leo acted like he was going to blow a gasket, but when he saw you, he changed his mind. You looked really pathetic that first day. Anyway, I offered to leave and let him take care of you, but it didn't take him long to see the wisdom of you having a fiancé to attend to matters." 

"Pathetic? He said I was pathetic?" 

"You were still in the projectile vomiting stage. Your stomach couldn't tolerate the first prescription. Josh couldn't deal with it, not without throwing up himself. Leo sent him home. By the time I got back, Leo's opinion of me had improved. Or at least he found my presence more acceptable than him continuing with nursing duties." 

In a horrified voice she whispered, "I threw up on Leo?" 

Danny grinned. "Let's just say, Leo's suit was headed for an immediate trip to the dry cleaners." He sighed and added, "I wish I could take my Explorer to the dry cleaners." 

"Oh, God. How am I ever going to face him again?" She put her face in her hands. " Hell. It probably doesn't matter. Since he knows we're seeing each other, I'm in all likelihood - fired." 

Danny patted her shoulder. "He's okay with it now. In fact everyone is okay with it." 

"What do you mean - everyone?" She looked up. Her voice was getting a little hoarse from trying not to yell at him. 

"Everyone thinks we're engaged." 

Gritting her teeth, CJ slowly asked, "Why... would... everyone... think that?" 

"It started with the little fib I told at the hospital so they'd let me stay with you and then it kind of spiraled out of control as the good news spread. By the way, the President is throwing us an engagement party next weekend. But, I didn't give him an answer yet about a spring wedding in the Rose Garden." 

"Danny!" This time she did yell. 

Red-faced, Danny hurriedly continued, "Katie did a great article for the Chicago Tribune with a photograph of me in that Santa suit kissing you. Larry King wants us to do his show as soon as you're able. Oh, and three French guys and some woman named Wang have called wanting to design wedding dresses for you. I told them you'd call them back." 

Open-mouthed, CJ just stared at him, unable to find the words to stop his nervous rambling. 

"The media has kind of depicted us as the new Diana and Prince Charles. Although I think I'm much better looking than..." 

"Danny!" 

"Hey, look at it this way," he rapidly exclaimed. "Everyone is thrilled that we're together and we don't have to feel guilty or sneak around any more. While you were sleeping I took care of all the hard stuff." 

"What if I didn't want to be engaged to you? Did you ever think of that?" She caught him looking downward and slapped him with the bath sponge. 

He handed her a towel and turned around so she could get out. 

"Well...uh...no. Why wouldn't you? I'm successful, intelligent, a good conversationist, charming, thoughtful, good-looking, and a couple of women have even called me sexy." 

Eyes narrowing, she glared at his back. "Who?" 

"Who what?" 

"Which women called you sexy?" She slowly got to her feet, trying to keep the towel in front of her with her injured arm, while reaching out with her other arm and grabbing onto him for support. 

"Besides you?" he asked, turning to make sure she wasn't going to lose her balance. 

She secured the now wet towel around her torso, while declaring, "I never called you sexy." 

"Are you sure? Cause I thought I heard you once. We were watching a ball game in your office and eating pizza and..." 

"I said messy." 

"What?" He asked, helping her to step out of the tub. 

"I said messy, not sexy." 

"Oh." He appeared crestfallen. 

Hiding a smile, she questioned, "Who else?" 

"Uh. I think I'd better keep that to myself. You look like a woman who could become madly jealous of other women throwing themselves at me." 

"That green color is a bruise. What do you mean 'throwing' themselves?" 

He shrugged. "Could happen." 

"Not likely," she scoffed. 

"Miracles happen. Just look at us. I never thought we would be getting married." 

Exasperated, she replied, "You made that up. We're not getting married. We're not engaged." 

"We're not?" He smiled at her. She was quite a sight, dripping wet with her bruises, swollen eye, bald spot, and indignant expression. 

"No." She almost stamped her foot but thought better of it. Right now her feet were the only parts of her body that didn't ache. 

"Everyone thinks we are. It was on the front page of the Washington Post. Someone already sent us a toaster. If we don't get married, we'll have to give it back." 

"Oh, God." 

"See - the idea is growing on you." He smiled and slid a hand around her waist. 

She couldn't resist smiling back at him, even though it hurt her jaw. 

"Growing on me like a fungus. There's probably a medical treatment for that," she mumbled as he put both arms around her and pulled her against him. "Some ointment or spray." 

His eyes twinkling, he bent his head and kissed her collarbone and the top of her shoulder. "Nah. Once you fall in love with a Concannon, the condition is permanent. No divorces in my family, ever." 

Tilting her head back, she allowed him access to her neck. "I just hope it's not terminal." 

Trailing his lips upwards from her neck, he cupped her head and tenderly kissed the bruises on the side of her face. "Better?" 

Pointing towards her mouth, she replied, "You missed a spot." 

As his mouth moved over hers, CJ dropped the towel. 

* * *

"Danny?" Her head was lying on his shoulder, her hand resting on his chest. 

Jerking awake, he mumbled, "Yeah?" 

"What about Qumar and your investigation?" 

"Leo got me an interview with the President for next week. He's going to answer my questions. You don't have to be involved." 

"Oh." 

"Everything is going to be fine. Go to sleep." 

"Danny?" 

Opening his eyes, he growled at her. 

She laughed and tilted her head upwards so she could see his face with her good eye. "Where's my ring?" 

The End. 


End file.
